Just because Maryland's season is over doesn't mean basketball is. The matchups for today:
Arizona St. (6) vs. Syracuse (3), 12:10, South Regional: I'm pulling for Arizona State, but this should be a great game. Syracuse has Paul Harris and Johnny Flynn, Arizona State has Jeff Pendergraph and James Harden. I have to root for the Sun Devils because they're my team in NCAA 09, though.
Xavier (4) vs. Wisconsin (12), 2:20, East Regional: Wisconsin ended another ACC team's season with an OT win over FSU, and they're actually a pretty good team. I love Jason Bohannon's game. My money's on Xavier, though.
Kansas (3) vs. Dayton (11), 2:30, Mid-west Regional: I can't root for Kansas because they're the enemy in the Born Ready sweepstakes, but I'm not a huge fan of Dayton, either. Dayton upset West Virginia for their first NCAA tournament win in 19 years, and Kansas had a poor performance against NDSt. I see this as Maryland-Memphis v2.0.
Cleveland St. (13) vs. Arizona (12), 2:40, Mid-west Regional: What a horrible game this could be: I'm not a fan of a 13 vs. 12 matchup. I'm pulling for Cleveland St., because I've never liked Lute Olsen's team (it doesn't matter that he's not coach anymore). Cleveland St. could actually pull this off, too, and be the first true cinderella of the year.
Pittsburgh (1) vs. Oklahoma State (8), 2:50, East Regional: This'll be a packed few hours: four games on at once. Luckily, none of them are must-watch games. I'm fully expecting a UConn-TAMU type of game here. Pitt will come out much more focused than their first round game.
Missouri (3) vs. Marquette (6), 4:50, West Regional: A lot of people wrote in Missouri here, because Marquette is lacking their star player, Dominic James. Not so fast: breaking reports indicate that James will play, just weeks after undergoing serious surgery on his foot that was supposed to be season-ending. This game went from blowout possibility to must-watch TV.
Michigan St. (2) vs. USC (10), 5, Mid-west Regional: I expect Michigan State to clean up. They had no trouble in their first game, and USC has to be tiring out at this point. I like USC's talent, but Michigan St. has not only more talent, but a better coach.
Louisville (1) vs. Siena (9), 5:15, Mid-west Regional: Siena was able to beat Ohio State in one of the best games in recent memory, but I don't expect them to get any farther: I have Louisville winning it all. Plus, Siena is probably tired from that double-OT thriller on Friday.